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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: SATELLITE BROADCAST TO HELP SURVIVORS OBTAIN RESTITUTION FOR UNRESOLVED HOLOCAUST-ERA INSURANCE CLAIMS Hundreds of agency professionals across North America to participate February 8, 2000 -- New York -- The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) and the International Commission on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC), in cooperation with the United Jewish Communities (UJC), will cosponsor a satellite broadcast on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 4-5:30 PM (EST) for professionals who work with Holocaust survivors in the United States and Canada. Hundreds of professionals are expected to participate in the program at more than 50 sites across North America. The satellite broadcast will help professionals and volunteers working at the grass-roots level to provide concrete assistance as well as essential emotional support to survivors. The interactive broadcast will focus on four areas: outreach methods to survivors; how to complete the forms; the documentation required; and submission and evaluation procedures. "Learning about, obtaining and completing the restitution forms may be a frustrating and confusing process for some claimants," said Dr. Lawrence Rubin, JCPA Executive Vice Chairman. "It may also be traumatic for survivors as they are asked to relive the horror of their wartime experiences. We believe that this program will help the many Jewish agencies that serve survivors to navigate this complex bureaucracy, while remaining sensitive to their clients’ feelings." Former U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, chairman of ICHEIC, and United Jewish Communities President and CEO Stephen Solender, are set to appear on the broadcast via videotape. Satellite broadcast panelists include: Arie Bucheister, executive director of North American Friends of AMCHA and Claims Conference consultant; Miriam Bacon, associate director of Allocations for the Claims Conference, and Jerry Benjamin, co-managing director of ABData Ltd., the company conducting the worldwide outreach process. ICHEIC plans to set up a hotline for anyone with questions and in need of assistance with the forms. Videotaped copies of the broadcast will be available. Please contact Lil Kleiman at ABData, Ltd. at lkleiman@abdata.com or (414) 540-5029. ## The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community and serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 122 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations. |
